From stage to screen

We’re living in a new golden age of comedy. Over the last several years, Netflix has invested heavily in producing stand-up specials and now has hundreds available for streaming in its online catalog — including instant classics like Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette. It’s a great time to be a fan and an exciting time for performers hoping to be the next breakout star.

“It’s something that we always dream of as comedians — to get that Netflix special,” says Dina Nina Martinez, a Madison-based performer and founder of the annual Lady Laughs Comedy Festival, which is running Nov. 7-11 at Nomad World Pub, Camp Trippalindee, Plan B and the Barrymore Theatre. An ambitious organizer, Martinez has added to the event each year since launching the festival in 2015. Her latest idea? Teaming up with a local studio to produce a live comedy special that will be filmed Nov. 10 at the Barrymore.

“This is the perfect place to really bring up the women that I think are hilarious and that I want to give a platform to,” says Martinez, an advocate for empowering women and LGBTQ performers in the notoriously male-dominated comedy scene.

Using three high-definition cameras, a crew from Glowstix Studio in Lake Mills will be shooting live at Saturday night’s performance. The two-part showcase — one at 7 p.m. and the other at 10 p.m. — features some of the most prominent performers of the festival, including Hattie Preston, who appeared on the E! Series Royals; Los Angeles-based film actor and comedian Shannon Bobo; Chicago acts Maya May, Elyse Nylin; and Off Off Broadway, a burlesque comedy troupe. Martinez will also perform.

The finished product will be a series called I <3 Funny Women and will include interviews with performers, footage from the green room and other extras from the night. Martinez is hoping to bring on executive producers to help fund the project after it is filmed and eventually plans to pitch the series to “all the streaming giants.” It’s a long shot, but even if they don’t bite, the series will be available for viewing in some form.

“If all else fails we’ll just put it on Amazon and iTunes and go from there,” she says. “But I definitely want to see this as an ongoing project. It’s really exciting to see a whole filmed project that’s centered around women.”